|
|
|
|
Daggers & Swords
Page 1
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
1936 Model Chained
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Here is a textbook example of the most beautiful and exciting dagger of the
PRICE: $9,800.00 Reduced through our "Stimulus" Program! GRAB IT QUICK! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 Back side |
 "Kulturzeichen" |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Model 1936 Chained SS Officer's Dagger (Item SSDAG 1-2a) |
DESCRIPTION: Here is the typical type (2) dagger used by SS officers it is the most popular of all N.S. weapons enjoying vast admiration and desirability in the WWII collecting field. This is a more than excellent example with the much sought after anodized scabbard. This one has an excellent- plus blade. It is a type two with the solid background to the top loop or as it is sometimes referred to as “Wotan’s Knot.” This would be unlike the type one where the DRGM shows partially under the knot's surface. This was actually an improvement. The SS proof stamp is sharp on the two up links of the chain. This is called the “Kulturzeichen.” The skulls and runes are of generally smaller dimension than on the type 1 and their background is artificially blackened to bring out the design. Another improvement was the bevel trimmed links at the place where the chains meet the knot this provides more flexibility to the chains movement while being carried. The link detail is exceptional throughout. The eagle and the SS button on the grip are of the aluminum type and stand out boldly. The cross guard and top grip guard are in great shape. These are of the solid nickel silver early variety while the scabbard top and boot are nickle plated. This is quite normal and completely accepted. Thomas T. Wittman in his book “Exploring the Dress Daggers of the German SS" on Page 130 says, “Needless to say, the mismatch of metal types can often cause concern with collectors as the natural reaction is to assume all metal parts should be uniform. During periods of transition it also possible to find daggers with nickel silver cross guards, nickel scabbard throat plated chain, ramp and upper fitting, and either plated or in actual nickel silver including the scabbard throat and ball." This is the case here and it looks great and obviously 100% correct. These chained daggers are getting more and more scarce and to find one like this example is extremely rare! And to find one in this extremely beautiful condition for this ultra reasonable is “stupendous”. It won’t last long on our pages at this price so if you want the ultimate SS-NS relic, here is your chance. PRICE: $9,950.00 for a $12,000.00 dagger Foot Note: There is a slight surface age crack just above the crossguard in the wood almost non-discernable except under magnification. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Wotan Knot |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Kulturzeichen lightly stamped |
 |
 Beveled links |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Possible old repaint |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 The Chief! |
 |
 |
1936 Model Chained SS Officer's Dagger (Item SSDAG 1-2b) |
DESCRIPTION: Here, in all its glory, is a great example of a SS officer dagger with the chain of alternating skulls and SS runic symbol links. This is a typical 2nd model piece with type (2) fittings all sound and beautiful. The ebony grip is fitted well to the cross guard and fineal guard. The special improvements from the type (1) dagger are evident. Such as the “closed style” cloverleaf or Wotans Knot as it used to be called, this means that the circular area at the top is not open like the type ones were constructed so that you would see the letters DRGM, also the links where they connect to the cloverleaf are bevel trimmed in order to provide more flexability to the chains movement when worn. These two differences will designate a type (2) from a type (1) at first glance. This example is the early production model and is in solid nickel. The finish on the cross guard and fineal guard match the finish on the scabbard more closely than in other examples. The eagle clutching the swastika and the top button with SS runes are quite bold and stand right out There are no cracks in the wood of the grip. The SS approval or Kulturzeichen appears lightly stamped on the 2nd link of the upper chain. The blade is extra fine but shows some slight scabbard wear. This would be the slightly seen runner marks from inserting and withdrawing the weapon from time to time. The scabbard ball tip is not ruptured as so many are (its perfect). The detail of the skulls and runics are exceptional. This is an all around beautiful dagger and these pieces are as I have said before are getting very scarce ,hardly a one shows up at the military shows except for the dozen or so that are to be seen in the show case maintained by a rich young punk whose greed excels his liking for the hobby. You wouldn’t want to buy one from this German hating individual in any case because the price would be astronomical. These are scared objects in our estimation and we strive to offer the best of them to you the collecting public at very competitive prices. In a short time these daggers will exceed in price the possibility of the average collector gaining one. It is already approaching this with certain greed driven dealers. This particular example is highly recommended and still affordable. Yes, still a bit expensive, especially now but you couldn’t make a wiser investment at this time because this is without a doubt the epitome of N.S. weapons and the crème d’ la crème of SS items. If you have a collection of SS articles without this prodigiously important beauty then you just don’t have a premier collection. Actually, there are people out there who have only one NS-SS item and that is the Mod 1936 SS chained dagger. In a way, every other SS item fades into a state of insignificance beside this the honor dagger of the SS Meine Ehre Heisst Treue The motto on the blade means “My Honor is Loyalty”. PRICE: $9,965.00 Just go ahead &compare against others offered on other sites. If there are any out there at all! |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1936 Model Chained
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Service daggers we have ever seen. It’s a Type II with the “closed” style cloverleaf. This means that the upper “leaf” or circular area in front of the snap closure is not open as you see on Type I daggers. Also, another improvement that came with the Type II chain is that the chain assemblies are connected to the cloverleaf design (or Wotan knot) with metal links or tabs which have been barrell trimmed to provide more flexibility to the chain’s movement while being carried. The Type II tabs are cut from sheet nickel and soldered at the rear. The skulls and
PRICE: Consignment --1-11000-13-c |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The SS Sword of Hereditary Prince Josias von Waldeck und Pyrmont (Item SS 25-1 & SSDAG 1-4) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Here is one of the most incredible finds that we have managed to uncover because of our many contacts in Germany. In April 2006, we were informed that the SS sword of the Josias Erbprinz zu Waldeck und Pyrmont, 1896-1967, was now to be sold in the vicinity of Kassel, Germany. As luck would have it we were attending a military show at that time in Kassel so we immediately went to the location and after 4 days of negotiation we managed to buy it, and what a thrill it was. Prince Josias was one of the earliest members of the SS and one of the first of the royal lines to join the ranks of the Shutzstaffel. The Erbprinz (hereditary prince) had an extraordinary and varied career and enjoyed an especially close relationships with Himmler, the eldest son of the last ruling prince in Waldeck, the nephew of the King of Württemberg, and the Dutch queen. He was badly wounded in WWI (including being a victim of a gas attack) and highly decorated (receiving the Iron Cross First and Second Class). He later volunteered for the Free Corps, where he fought in Upper Silesia in 1919. Waldeck joined the Nazi Party in 1929 and the SS in 1930. He had married one of the sisters of Grand Duke Nikolaus von Oldenburg, 1897-1948. The Grand Duke von Oldenburg’s two sisters married SS major Prince zu Schaumburg-Lippe and SA Colonel von Hedemann, making this a tight-knit circle of aristocratic NSDAP officials. During his first year in the SS Waldeck became the Chief of Himmler’s personal staff. Later, in 1933, he became the aide-de-camp of SS General Sepp Dietrich, 1891-1966, who headed up Hitler’s personal security. That same year Waldeck was promoted to major general (SS-Gruppenführer); part of his precipitous rise in rank. He also had a brief appointment as a councilor in the foreign office in 1933, and held a seat in the Reichstag throughout the era of the Third Reich. As of 1936, he headed the SS Division of Fulda putting him in close proximity to Prince Philipp of Hessen, who also was an NSDAP royal and was a high-ranking SA leader. Both Waldeck and Prince Philipp were based in Kassel near the area where the sword was stored and ultimately sold to us. In Kassel, Josias created the Bureau for the Germanization of Eastern Peoples, which promoted the idea of SS-directed settlements in Eastern Europe. In 1939, Waldeck was appointed the higher SS and police leader in Weimar and in this capacity he had supervisory authority over the concentration camp at Buchenwald. The prince was also a general of the Ordnungs-Polizei (Order Police); appointed by Hitler personally in April 1941. Prince Waldeck was severe, hard driving, and ambitious. To cite an example, he oversaw an SS execution commando at the Stadelheim Prison near Munich during the Röhm purge in June 1934, when he had to order the executions of several former comrades. It gave him no pleasure, but it was necessary to the future of the NSDAP, which he would defend with his own life, if necessary: “Wenn alle untreue werden so bleiben wir doch treue!” On 12 March 1938, the day of the German annexation of Austria, he wrote to Heinrich Himmler addressing the letter to the Reichsführer-SS persönlich requesting to be deployed to Austria. He wanted to be where the action was. During the so-called Kristallnacht, Waldeck is on historical record as giving to Arolsen headquarters an order to his men to refrain from violence and to arrest those who indulged in gangster activities. Considering the culture of discipline in the SS, and Prince Waldeck’s overbearing demeanor it is hard to believe his troopers would have acted against his orders. In 1942, Prince zu Waldeck sacked Buchenwald Commandant Karl Otto Koch and his wife because of their cruel treatment of prisoners and their embezzlement of over 700,000 DM in valuables from the camp property rooms. Koch was found guilty of corruption and executed at Buchenwald just days before the allies arrived. The prince considered himself principled and disciplined. Scholars now generally reject the charge made by Buchenwald inmate and pseudo historian Eugen Kugon that Waldeck himself was brazenly corrupt. He certainly was well thought of by his men; some of whom we have talked to. He was always publicized as a kind of role model for the SS. He was made head of the SS office for riding. He held the title Leiter des Deutschen Reitsports and like Prince Christoph, he frequently competed in international competitions in his always-pin-neat SS uniform. Just after the Austrian Anschluss in the spring of 1938, Waldeck inquired whether he could be included in the police unit that would accompany Hitler to Rome. His aide wrote the request to the SS-Reichsführer noting that the proposal would be favorably greeted by SS General Sepp Dietrich and Oberpräsident Prince Philipp von Hessen, and he added that Waldeck would be in Rome from April 24 to May 5, competing in an international riding competition. Himmler wrote back that he could not assign Waldeck to the police detail because the Italians were taking charge of security, but it would be no problem to invite the prince to other functions during the Führer’s visit in May. Waldeck was a very visible figure resplendent in his SS uniform with the SS officer’s sword ever at his side. He was photographed constantly by the German and Italian press during the state visit. He was considered the epitome of the SS officer. He fit the SS ideal in many other ways, too. Not surprisingly Waldeck and his wife had five children, which would earn the latter the Mother Cross in gold, the highest award for bearing children for the German Reich. Prince Waldeck, as we have earlier stated, was one of Himmler’s favorites and the Reichsführer made special efforts to take care of him. They used the familiar form of address (one of Himmler’s few Duzfreunden) and the Reichsführer-SS sent numerous gifts not only to Waldeck, but to his family. Himmler was godfather to the prince’s only son to whom he sent a regular stream of presents and notes. The prince thought a great deal of his chief and often sent handmade gifts turned out by artisans in the Weimar regions. We featured one of these on our pages. See the incredible Presentation Cigar Box to Heinrich Himmler at Item HH 1-6. You can see more information about Prince Waldeck there, as well. In March 1943, Himmler ordered that the prince be awarded the Military Service Cross with swords. This is the highest award granted to higher SS and police leaders. Himmler’s aide wrote back that Waldeck had already received the award the previous year for service as part of civil defense. Waldeck, in turn, venerated Himmler had made every effort to honor him. This included giving Himmler a new train car (Salonwagen) at the meeting of SS leaders in Posen in the autumn of 1943. Waldeck’s experiences during the war took a toll on him. In January 1944, SS General Udo von Woyrsch, 1895-1982, wrote Himmler and explained how the prince was suffering from serious eye problems and that he constantly smokes cigarettes and evidently appears shaken. Woyrsch asked Himmler to intervene—to prohibit Waldeck from smoking and to take better care of himself. Yet, Waldeck survived the German (European) defeat. He surrendered to Patton’s forces at Buchenwald on April 13, 1945, the day the camp was occupied by allied armies and he faced two trials in the postwar period. See our write-up at Item HH 1-6 for more information on this. He was sentenced to life in prison, but on November 29, 1950 Waldeck was released from prison. He was one of the first to benefit from American High Commissioner John J. McCloy’s amnesty program and in July 1953, he received an amnesty from the Hessian Minister-President. The passion of revenge and ethnic cleansing seemed over for that time. Prince zu Waldeck lived out his life in the Federal Republic until his death in November 1967. He passed away to Walhalla at the age of 72 at Schloss Schaunberg near Diez an der Lahn. The family has kept its archives closed to scholars since the prince was released in 1950 for reasons of poor health (the reason given). When he returned to his home he turned a great portion of the ancestral estate over to the Red Cross for its tracing of missing persons. Prince Waldeck’s SS identification number was 2139 and this number appears stamped or engraved on the lip of the scabbard of his sword. His NSDAP number was 160 025. He had the Golden Party pin, the Iron Cross First and Second Class, the War Service Cross, the Spange for winning the Iron Cross again in WWII, the Deutsches Kreutz, and the silver Wound Badge. He was an able leader and a brave soldier and really did not deserve the nasty fate that attended him at the Nuremberg (Star Chamber Proceeding) in the late 1940s. It is generally thought that it was his royal heritage that condemned him when the lesser men of the tribunal would exact revenge and tribal malice vis-à-vis French Reign of Terror tactics against men of higher station and especially the aristocracy. The sword of the prince certainly shows much use and the grip could be called ‘rather tired’ and a bit deteriorated. The ebony grip is all there, but slightly distressed. It’s obvious importance, however, transcends this; however, please don’t think it’s terrible. In any case, Tom Wittman, in his great book on swords and daggers of the SS shows a grip on page 353 that is similar in condition to this one. He says grips frequently reflect chips, usually caused by a resting sword inevitably falling on something or when worn striking against a hard surface. Since the ebony is very hard it is also brittle and we might add that it was common for the SS wearer to apply various oils and cleaners to the wooden surface to try to soften the wood thereby making it less susceptible to breakage. We have often seen other swords and daggers with this shrinkage and mottled effect caused by the various attempts at preservation in days past. To the perfectionist this could be a negative, but to the collector of important genuine historical artifacts, this would be acceptable of course, and even to some, desirable in that it shows genuine usage. Then, of course, there is the pertinent fact that it belonged to one of the most prestigious figures of Third Reich and WWII history. The prince was no auxiliary or honorary SS man as many German royals were. Many of these men, if they were authorized to wear the sword, wore it only occasionally for parade or review. Prince Waldeck wore it every day ether the sword or the SS dagger. He was fulltime and like most regular SS officers of rank he invariably held it by the grip and we have seen the wear on SS honor rings that are practically stripped bare of insignia because of long and excessive wear. It seems obvious to us that this royal personage grasped the ebony grip to the fullest extent. In our considered opinion this is surely a positive factor. Think about it. This sword was his constant companion and possibly the most-favored inanimate object that ever found his favor. The length of this (Degen) is 36 inches when in its scabbard. It still has the original sword knot or portepee. The blade is unmarked because it is one of the early ones that would not be marked back in the period when the Reich’s Führer did not want to show any company preference. This is the reason that the 1936 chained officer’s dagger model bears no company make or logo. There is also no Kulturzeichen or twisted ‘S’ runes and Mr. Tom Wittman notes that this is common with many of these swords. See page 358 on his SS sword-and-daggers book. The pommel nut bears the engraved initials ‘WP’ for Waldeck-Pyrmont. Wittman shows a similar engraving on page 363 and another on page 369 in his book. So, in essence and in fact, here offered by Germania is one of the most important SS officer’s swords ever featured on a military site. No, it is not a Damascus gold-lettered honor sword, but is surely is a relic of vast importance having belonged to one of the highest-ranking SS men, but also a prince of royal lineage. The prince is listed on the first page of the Dienstalterliste der Shutzstaffel der NSDAP as an SS-Obergruppenführer among many other illustrious well-known names. We proudly present this fabulous historically important relic. Credit for much of this information goes to Mr. Jonathan Petropoulos for his kind permission to use excerpts from his excellent book Royals and the Reich. PRICE: $30,000.00 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See other Prince Waldek items on SS Page 25 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1936 Model SS Dagger of Prince Josias von Waldeck und Pyrmont (Item SS 25-1A & SSDAG 1-5) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION: This is one of the most incredible SS daggers ever found. It’s the personal dagger having belonged to the hereditary prince of the famed Waldeck und Pyrmont family. To see how we obtained this fantastic dagger please read the information above in Item SS 25-1, about the Waldeck sword. After acquiring the sword we returned to the town of Bad Arolsen, where we were able to purchase this amazing weapon. If the purchase of the sword were not enough to thrill us to the outer limits, the chance to buy the dagger was to us a dream come true! What a dagger! Not just a model 36, which, by the way, are become so very scarce, but the prince’s dagger. If the owner of this dagger were virtually unknown the piece would still command very appreciable manifest attention to the collector of SS material or a general dagger collector. This piece will probably be the finest and most important one that they will ever encounter. The design that is peculiar to only the Waldeck Pyrmont prince is not only extremely emblematic and beautiful, but is so essentially indicative of the exciting era of German history. The ‘WP’ in the circle, of course, stands for ‘Waldeck Pyrmont,’ the royal family of Waldeck und Pyrmont of which he was the hereditary prince. This emblem is surrounded by oak leaves and acorns. The oak to the Germanic peoples was and is a symbol of strength and endurance and is the national tree of Germany. In classical mythology the oak was the symbol of Zeus and Wotan and was always the “sacred” tree. It is typical in Teutonic culture to use oak leaves to denote honor to a person, place, or award. The boot, or tip, of the scabbard is also decorated with the oak clusters and in the center of this is the star of Bad Arolsen. This was the city where the later Waldeck und Pyrmont is located and it was here that the prince and SS Gruppenführer administered the Fulda Wera SS Divisional headquarters. This star is shown sometimes as the Arolsen symbol with six arms, and when directly linked with the Waldeck family it is depicted with eight arms or rays; usually with the six, a fleur-de-lis is shown, especially on items having to do with the original gothic castle in a town of Waldeck in Edersee. The dagger, like the sword, has the Gruppenführer’s SS membership number. This one stamped under the cross guard is number ‘2139.’ The dagger is the typical first pattern where the ‘DRGM’ shows through the Wotan knot suspension section of the chain hanger. The scabbard is in beautiful condition as is the chain, but the blade is quite worn indicating to us that he received the specially engraved scabbard later and nostalgically wanted to retain his original-issue dagger and probably kept the dagger that was given with the scabbard in his home or offices in Arolsen or Kassel. The sword saw heavy use in everyday wear also. The prince was a work-a-day official; a real workaholic as we are given to understand. The other reason for the heavy wear on these items might lie in the fact that the family who maintained these objects had teenaged children who loved to play pirate and soldier during their growing-up years in Arolsen, and the items unfortunately suffered a little bit over the years of probably rough usage. In any case, at least they were preserved and are to be added to the collection of some fortunate collector or museum. We can’t imagine a more exciting dagger or sword for that matter. “Heil to the SS prince!” His dagger and sword are silent testimony to a life that was possible provocative, but certainly most enthralling and dramatic to the extreme.
PRICE: $39,800.00 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See other Prince Waldek items on SS Page 25 |
|
|||||||
The WWI Sword of Erbprinz Josias Waldeck von Pyrmont (Item SS 25-1D & SSDAG 1-6) |
|||||||
| DESCRIPTION: Here is the WWI sword of the hereditary prince of Waldeck. This is the prince whose other items can be seen in the previous section of this page. He was the eldest son of Frederick, the last reigning prince of the principality of Waldeck Pyrmont. At the very beginning of WWI in 1914 he volunteered to arms with intention to be a professional soldier. During the 4 years of this terrible war he suffered several wounds including a very serious head injury that plagued him for the rest of his life. He served as an Oberleutnant in the infantry regiment von Willich 13 Kurhessisches Nr. 3. He served bravely and diligently and won the Iron Cross, both classes. The sword is a Prussian infantry model actually used by the other military units from the other German states, as well. It has the folding guard with the Royal Prussian eagle and the d-guard is as usual on these Model 1889 infantry officer degens (Preussische Infanterie Offizierdegen). The ray-skin grip is in good condition. The top or pommel has the ‘WP’ intertwined standing for ‘Waldeck Pyrmont’ just as it is engraved on his SS officer’s degen seen in one of the write-ups above. The length of the sword is 37 inches. The blade measures 30 1/2 inches and the blade is still bright with double-running fullers that run along 90 percent of the blade. There is no company name or logo. The scabbard is in good condition with no kinks or dents. It shows some wear on the black original print, but this does not detract at all. Generally, the sword is in excellent condition and is another fine relic and remembrance of a royal personage who dedicated his later live to an ideal to which he gave his all and there are some who respect his memory!
PRICE: $2,800.00; the sword of an SS prince |
|||||||
| See other Prince Waldek items on SS Page 25 |
Please refer to item designator in parentheses in all correspondence.
Please E-mail for any additional information you may need.
